Investigation of the effect of vitamin D on testicular damage caused by cisplatin in rats

ABSTRACT Investigation of the Effect of Vitamin D on Testicular Damage Caused by Cisplatin in Rats Aim: In our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of VD against testicular damage caused by cisplatin by histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical methods. Material and Method: 28 Wistar Albino rats were divided into four groups, 6 in the control and VD groups, and 8 in the cisplatin and cisplatin+ VD groups. Body and testicular weights of the rats were measured at the beginning and end of the experiment. At the end of the 10-day experiment, the rats were sacrificed under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. Right testicles were used for biochemical analyzes and left testicles were used for histological analyses. Tissues were taken through routine tissue follow-up procedures and embedded in paraffin. HE, PAS, caspase-3 and VDR staining methods were applied to serial sections taken from paraffin blocks. Sperm vitality and morphology were evaluated from semen samples obtained from the cauda part of the epididymis. Number of sperms was also counted. Biochemically, TOS, TAS, FSH, LH, testosterone, estrogen, VD, Ca and P levels were measured by ELISA test kits using spectrophotometric methods. Results: In histopathological analysis; a decrease in seminiferous tubule diameter and germinal epithelial thickness, decrease in Johnsen score, and degenerative changes in germinal cells were observed in the cisplatin group. In PAS staining, corrugation and increased positivity were observed in the basement membrane. While caspase-3 immune positivity increased, VDR immunostaining decreased. In biochemical analysis; while a significant increase was observed in TOS in the cisplatin group, no significant difference was found in terms of TAS. No statistical difference was observed in terms of FSH, LH, Testosterone, VD, Ca and P when compared with the control. It was observed that estrogen decreased significantly compared to the control. Sperm count and sperm vitality were decreased compared to the control group, and sperm anomaly was increased. It was observed that VD application reduced histological damage and caused a significant increase in Johnsen score. In this group, caspase-3 immunostaining decreased while VDR immunostaining increased. Biochemically, a significant decrease in TOS level and a significant increase in VD level were detected. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study shows that VD administration alleviates testicular damage in rats with cisplatin-induced testicular damage. However, further studies are needed to add VD to clinical treatment protocols. Keywords: Vitamin D, Rat, Cisplatin, Testis